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How to spring load pig cooker lid for easy opening-closing

I am helping a friend build a pig cooker out of a propane tank (about

30" in dia. by 4'long +or-) the lid is pretty heavy and I would like to make up a spring and cable to help lift it, I just dont know how to arrange it. Do I have to build a "mast" that would be higher than the height of the door in the opened position, with a cable attached to the door and going over a pulley connected to a spring with a turnbuckle? How big of a spring should I use? I can connect it to the frame of the cooker. Will it work without making the "mast" sticking up in mid air? What about a pulley mounted behind the lid, attached to the spring? Any help would be great. Thank you, Craig
Reply to
monkers
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wouldn't a counter weight be a simpler option? I have seen them built that way, both with a stright angle iron mounted counter weight and also saw one with a elevator cable pully to a mast system. It seems it would be easier to adjust the right amount of weight to make the lid lift easy than to find a spring with the right amount of pull.

Reply to
Clamdigger

I would be inclined to use a counter weight on a shaft sticking out to the rear of the lid. Make it detachable so as not to present a tripping hazard when the unit is not in use. Experiment with weights (old barbell weights, bucket 'o' sand or whatever floats your boat.

Ken.

Reply to
Ken Davey

Reply to
RoyJ

I would use an old fashioned lever of some sort. Weld or bolt a piece of pipe and use it to insert a lever (a longer piece of pipe). compact and simple.

i
Reply to
Ignoramus18741

Reply to
Thomas Kendrick

I would use a counterweight. You can add weight until it is just right. Springs tend to mess up at the worst moment.

Steve

Reply to
SteveB

Thanks guys, Im gonna try a counterweight like suggested. I planned on putting a "stop" on it for safety. I will tack weld a rod and use some barbells to figure out how much weight is needed. Thanks again

Reply to
monkers

"monkers" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com... | Thanks guys, Im gonna try a counterweight like suggested. I planned on | putting a "stop" on it for safety. I will tack weld a rod and use some | barbells to figure out how much weight is needed. Thanks again

I don't know if you're interested in this or not, but I grew up in Texas, and there are some _really, really_ big BBQ rigs that folks are quite proud of. Some can several pigs at once, so the lids are enormous (they start with surplus oilfield tanks!) To counterweight a lid that big makes for really heavy transport, so I've seen a lever of sorts that when in transit or storage is folded next to the BBQ, and when it use is folded out. At the end of the lever is a cable for the counterweight. Less weights required for the longer lever. Just watch your head if you're behind the thing!

Reply to
carl mciver

Experiment with leverage a bit before you weld anything to the door. Maybe clamping a bar to the door would work for testing. As the door lifts it may get lighter. Enoug so that it slams open. You want to be sure that it doesn't slam open or closed. If it does someone will for sure be hurt by it. Cheers, Eric

Reply to
Eric R Snow

A couple 5 gallon buckets of water make good counterweights.

Reply to
bamboo

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